Focal Passage: I Peter 1:3-12
An earthly inheritance is simply the reception of someone else’s stuff, usually after their death. An inheritance can be so highly valued (either real or perceived) that people build their lives in anticipation of receiving it.
I grew up near a family that courted a neighbor’s property for three generations! The man who finally inherited the sizable estate died before he could enjoy it. An earthly inheritance is received by someone who either spends it or eventually bequeaths it to someone else. Either way, you can’t take it with you when you die.
Our spiritual inheritance in Christ is a complete contrast to an earthly inheritance. It cannot be given to you by someone else, because only Jesus can provide the gift of eternal life. Furthermore, God will give the same inheritance to countless people who place their faith in Christ. This inheritance becomes ours by way of the new birth.
Rust
As Jesus said to Nicodemus, “unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 b). Salvation is not something we lay hold of by our own initiative as though we are making an important purchase. It has been given by the Father, purchased by the Son, and applied by the Spirit.
In short, it is a miraculous work of God! Consequently, we don’t do evangelism like salesmen whose bottom line is dependent on our ingenuity. As Darrel Robinson said many years ago, we share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God. We do not wait for bad men to become good; we look for God to raise the dead!
Peter explained that this inheritance is ours forever. It cannot be used up and we don’t give it to anyone else because it is waiting in heaven for us! It will never face decay or be destroyed because it is guarded by God’s power (1 Peter 1:5) until we see Jesus face to face.
Here we see yet another explanation of eternal security for the believer. God does both the saving and the keeping of our souls, and He never loses one of His own! This firm foundation of faith allows us to endure whatever suffering God may call us to in this life.
The writer of Hebrews declared the hope we have in Christ to be a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul (Hebrews 6:19). It is most assuredly a “know so” hope, not the world’s “hope so” hope. While we wait to receive this inheritance, God refines our faith through the trials of this life and strengthens our trust in Him. Consequently, the gifting of our inheritance on that great day will exalt Jesus, not us.
Unlike a worldly inheritance, there is no chance of unrealized expectation at that the reading of the will because the inheritance has been lost, sold, or given to someone else.
The Book of Life will reveal God’s gracious provision of salvation that will never be taken away (Revelation 20:12-13), because “he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phillipians 1:6). B&R — Rust is associational mission strategist for Holston Baptist Association.
